Cletis Blum was leading the Changing Corners pitch above Gordon and their other climbing partners. In a blog post, Blum wrote that the next thing they knew, Gordon was falling, according to Rock and Ice. “But there was nothing to hold him,” wrote Blum.

Friends who were nearby, including Blum and climbing partner Ryan Dilts, said that Gordon may have thought he was still clipped into the anchor or Grigri he’d used to ascend the fixed rope to Camp 6. Gordon fell 20 feet to the next ledge, then farther down to the Camp 5 ledge. Although Blum, who is trained as a Wilderness First Responder, was able to reach him quickly, attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

UPDATE: September 24, 10:45 MDT: A previous version of this article did not include information about Doug Gordon.